In the repair of connectorized multi-conductor flat cable, the connectors employed therewith, when of the solderless type, generally include two rearward mating (complementary) plastic housing sections, with either one or both sections supporting an array of contacts, and with one section being adapted to be snap-locked to the other section. When such cable housing sections are not interlocked, the releasable housing section is normally connected to the other section in a pivotal manner. The other housing section is generally secured to a forward metal housing portion of the connector that defines either a male or female end thereof.
In such a flat cable connector, each of the opposite sidewalls of the pivotally mounted and releasable housing section is typically formed with an integral and resilient U-shaped locking detail. Each locking detail is adapted to be deflected outwardly while sliding over an aligned one of two outwardly tapered protruding detents, each formed in a different sidewall of the stationary connector housing section, until the central opening of each locking detail snaps over the associated detent. At that point, the central leg portion of each locking detail firmly abuts against a protruding shoulder formed at the upper end of the associated tapered detent, to form a releasable latch.
The U-shaped locking details must be sufficiently stiff so as to prevent the accidental release of the two interlocked connector housing sections, while at the same time insuring that if the releasable housing section must be subsequently separated for repair purposes, for example, the locking details will not break off, or otherwise be impaired, particularly along the base regions of the leg portions thereof. In practice, the degree of stiffness that must be exhibited by the U-shaped locking details has made it very difficult for a repair person to manually grasp the connector in such a manner that not only both of the locking details are simultaneously deflected outwardly (by thumb or finger forces imparted thereagainst) sufficiently to release them from the previous respectively engaging detents, but to simultaneously impart opposed forces to the two then released housing sections so as to effect the desired separation therebetween.
Often compounding the difficulty of manually grasping and effecting the release and separation of such cable connector housings is their size. For example, in one particular type of connector applicable for use with a miniaturized flat cable having a single array of fifteen conductors, the two interlocked connector housing sections, together, measure only 15/16 inch in width, 3/8 inch in thickness, and 7/8 inch in depth.
Whenever a sharp instrumentality, such as a screwdriver, has been employed heretofore to facilitate the release and separation of two snap-locked cable connector housings of the type of particular concern herein, the inevitable non-uniform wedging forces exerted on each U-shaped locking detail, in succession, has often resulted in the details breaking off near the base of each integral leg portion thereof. Whenever this happens, of course, a new connector housing section must be employed in reconnectorizing a given cable. This not only involves additional appreciable expense, but requires a larger inventory of spare connector parts in the field. In addition, the utilization of any relatively sharp instrumentality, such as a screwdriver, in conjunction with finger-imparted forces to effect the release and separation of two cable connector housing sections, greatly increases the risk of accidental hand injury to the repair person.
There thus has been an urgent need for a relatively light, inexpensive and reliable hand-operated device applicable for use in the field, as well as in a manufacturing environment, to readily effect the opening of a cable connector of the type having two mating housing sections that are normally releasably interlocked by two laterally disposed sidewall latches. Considered more specifically, a device of the plier-like, handle actuated type has been particularly desired that would incorporate suitable jaw-supported fixturing adapted to initially reliably position and grip a latch-locked cable connector of the type of concern herein and, thereafter, sequentially effect: (1) the simultaneous release of the two laterally disposed connector latches, and (2) the physical separation of the released housing section from the previously mating section, with no supplemental hand/finger imparted forces being required against the connector itself to effect the opening thereof.
There is disclosed in J. J. Anderton U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,193 a plier-like extractor tool that includes a pair of pivotal connector-gripping jaws and a separately actuated retractable latch-releasing member. The latter is mounted for retractable movement in a direction perpendicular to that of the jaws such that a forward wedge-shaped end of the retractable member can be independently brought into engagement with, and effect the release of, a single underside latch employed to fasten one particular type of connector to a support member, such as a printed circuit board. It is readily appreciated that such a tool is not applicable for use with flat cable connectors of the type in question, wherein two complementary (mating) connector housing sections are snap-locked together by two laterally disposed sidewall latches formed as integral parts thereof. Notwithstanding that fact, this prior tool also disadvantageously requires an operator to use one hand only to effect the actuation of the retractably mounted, single latch-releasing member thereof.